Poland Garros: World No 1 Swiatek continues love affair with clay

RATHER poetic, isn't it? The year when one clay God may have disappeared forever, another one has probably assumed the top step on the podium.

-  SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

Less than two weeks after Rafael Nadal, who owned Roland Garros for the last two decades, lost in the first round, Iga Swiatek coasted to her third straight triumph in the Paris dirt.

Jasmine Paolini, Swiatek's opponent, threatened to make a match of it. Ten minutes in, the Italian had just broken for a 2-1 lead in the opening stanza. That was the wake up call the Pole needed. What followed was a clinic on precise ball-striking, working the angles and being clinical. After that early lead, the 23-year-old won 10 straight games to race into a 6-2, 5-0 lead.